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Common Name: Tulip Poplar Tree
Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera
Family Name: Magnoliaceae
Serendipity Ranch
Columbus, North Carolina
May 29, 2002
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These large, handsome, and commercially important trees are immediately recognized by their brilliant orange and green, tulip-shaped flowers one to two inches broad and their wide leaves with a shallow notch at the end. A native of the eastern U.S., Tulip Poplars are found in coves or low, often recently cleared, woodlands essentially throughout the state. April-June [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
Native to eastern U.S. Fast rate of growth to 60-90 feet, with a spread to about 35-50 feet; considerably larger in the wild. Straight, columnar trunk, with spreading, rising branches that form tall pyramidal crown. Its 5-6 inch leaves are variously described as lyre shaped, saddle shaped, or truncated; they're like blunt-tipped maple leaves missing the end lobe. They turn from bright yellow green to bright yellow in fall. Tulip-shaped flowers in late spring are 2 inches wide, greenish yellow, orange at base. Handsome at close range but not showy on the tree, since they are carried high up and well concealed by leaves. Trees don't usually bloom until they are 10 to 12 years old. [Bender, Steve, Southern Living Garden Book, The. Oxmoor House, Inc., Book Division of Southern Progress Corporation, Birmingham, 1998]
Although frequently called Yellow Poplar, or just Poplar, this big tree of the Smokies is related to the magnolia and is not a true poplar. Sometimes reaching a diameter of 6 feet, it is quite abundant at elevations up to 3,500 feet. The nearest relative is in eastern Asia. May and June [Campbell, Carlos C., Hutson, William F., Sharp, Aaron J., Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers, Fourth Edition. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1977]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z